Tunnel to Towers gives paralyzed police officer, family home in growing ‘Let Us Do Good Village’
LAND O' LAKES, Fla. - The family of an injured police officer will spend Christmas in their new home in Pasco County.
Jonathan Rodriguez was a police officer on the SWAT unit in Cleveland when he suffered a life-altering injury while on duty.
Jonathan Rodriguez and his family were at the dedication ceremony for his new Land O Lakes homes, which were built by Tunnel to Towers.
In 2020, Rodriguez was responding to a call when a drunk driver hit him. He suffered a spinal cord injury and is paralyzed from the chest down.
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"And, if it wasn’t for the grace of God that keeps him alive," Zuleika Vazquez Rodriguez, Rodriguez's wife, said. "He beat all the odds."
On Thursday, Dec. 19, Tunnel to Towers gave Rodriguez’s family the keys to their new home in the "Let Us Do Good Village" in Land O’ Lakes.
Zuleika, who is also a police officer, says she never imagined they would be blessed with something like this.
"Now, my goal is to give him a better life with the kids," Zuleika said.
The "smart" house is ADA-accessible and has technology and features that help Rodriguez move more easily through his daily life.
Rodriguez is shown a bedroom and bathroom in his new ADA-accessible house built by Tunnel to Towers.
"The insides of the cabinets come down, where he can grab a cup just like you and I," John LaBarbera, with Tunnel to Towers Foundation, said. "We have cutouts where his wheelchair can fit underneath the sink. And we have special bathrooms that are wide. We have lifts to help him get around the house."
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Tunnel to Towers built the village, which dedicates each home to the family of a fallen or severely injured first responder or military servicemember.
"The homes that they’re in now have narrow aisles," LaBarbera said. "They can’t transverse through the home, they can’t get into the bathrooms, they can’t get into the showers."
Officials with the organization say 12 homes have been moved into, 12 more are finished, and 17 are under construction.
They also say Tunnels to Towers will build 25 "smart" homes in the next phase.
An amenity center is also being built in the village. It will include a pool, theater, and games for families to play together.
"Back home, we don’t talk much about spinal cord, anything like that," Zuleika said. "Just being here, everybody’s going to understand, like, ‘Hey, I know what you’ve been through’. Or, the kids to have other kids who are like, ‘Oh yeah, my dad is like that.’"
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Zuleika calls their new home life-changing.
Jonathan Rodriguez is being shown his new home that was built by Tunnel to Towers.
Prior to his injury, she says Rodriguez loved spending time outdoors.
Due to his injury, however, Zuleika says he’s unable to control his body's temperature.
According to Zuleika, Florida’s climate limits Rodriguez from spending time outdoors with their kids, Jeremiah, 14, and Miah, 10.
"For him to go to graduations or just see them ride their bike," Zuleika said.
Zuleika says the little things are priceless for Rodriguez and their family.
"We have a Christmas tree this year, which we didn’t before," Zuleika said. "Yeah, it’s a symbol, but it’s something big for us, you know."
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Zuleika says they don’t take things like that for granted and hope they can now help other families.
"We are blessed, but I keep thinking, ‘You know what, we are one family. But now it’s our job to help another family," Zuleika said.
Officials with Tunnel to Towers say the village will have close to 100 homes by the time it’s finished.
They hope the amenity center is finished by the end of next year.
The organization also runs a program that helps homeless veterans find housing. The program serves 20 cities, including Bradenton.
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